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Best Campgrounds near Round Lake, IL

650 Reviews

Chain O'Lakes State Park serves as the primary camping destination near Round Lake, Illinois, with several distinct campgrounds including Fox Den, Turner Lake South, Prairie View, and Honeysuckle Hollow. The area provides camping options for various preferences, with tent sites, RV spots with hookups, and even cabin accommodations at select locations. Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort represents another notable option in the area, located in nearby Volo with full hookup RV sites, tent camping areas, and cabin rentals. Most established campgrounds in the region maintain electrical hookups, picnic tables, fire rings, and access to restroom facilities, though amenities vary by specific location.

Camping in the Round Lake area requires advance planning, particularly during summer months when sites fill quickly. Most campgrounds in the region operate seasonally, with Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort typically open from May 1 to October 15. Reservations are strongly recommended at all established campgrounds. The proximity to water features is a defining characteristic of the region's camping experience, with opportunities for boating, fishing, and water recreation. Visitors should note that alcohol is prohibited at most state park campgrounds but allowed at private facilities like Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort. A camper noted, "There are numerous sites that are on a small lake with great sunset views. Sites are decent size but not much privacy in between sites. Lots of wooded trails within the campground."

Several visitors highlight the family-friendly nature of camping facilities in the area. Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort receives consistently positive reviews for its swimming beach, recreational activities, and amenities for children. According to one visitor, "This is a great local getaway! Perfect if you have a boat and want access to the Chain of Lakes." State park campgrounds like Fox Den are praised for their natural setting and proximity to hiking trails, with one reviewer noting that "it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, but it is close to everything." Both public and private campgrounds in the region benefit from their strategic location between natural areas and conveniences, offering an accessible outdoor experience for Chicago-area residents seeking weekend escapes without venturing far from urban amenities.

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Best Camping Sites Near Round Lake, Illinois (62)

    1. Adeline Jay-Geo Karis Illinois Beach State Park

    66 Reviews
    Zion, IL
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (847) 662-4811

    $25 / night

    "The group camp site is located pretty far away from the rest of the campsites, bathrooms, trails and amenities."

    "We had a phenomenal time at Illinois State Park camping facilities! Space was clean, nature was alive, and the neighbors so friendly!"

    2. Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    14 Reviews
    Spring Grove, IL
    9 miles
    +1 (847) 587-5512

    "*** reviewing as a baby/toddler camp family on the go :-) we chose the loop 11 was on because it was close to the path to the playgrounds and lakes plus bathrooms… avoid the first 2 sites from either end"

    "Campsite is nice, we're pretty close to our neighbors but not as bad as other places I've been. Walking distance to a fishing dock!"

    3. Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    13 Reviews
    Spring Grove, IL
    8 miles
    +1 (847) 587-5512

    "In the Turner loop, the pit toilets are next to the path to the fishing pier, while the showers and full restrooms are between Turner and Fox den, there is a short path between sites 60& 61."

    "You can hear whatever highway is nearby pretty clearly and constantly.

    But if you’re not looking for something super remote then it’s fine!"

    4. Fox Den Campground — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    12 Reviews
    Spring Grove, IL
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (847) 587-5512

    "We can both drive to work and then come back to relax. Close to some great places for antiquing if you don't want to hike the trails or fish."

    "It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, but it is close to everything. "

    5. Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort

    8 Reviews
    Round Lake, IL
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (847) 546-2228

    $43 - $73 / night

    "Very Friendly Staff I received warm welcome from nice staff at the entrance gate. Tent Campground is nicely tucked inside by the lake. Quit place night time I can hear fish jumping from the water."

    "We biked around the campground during the days and took advantage of the adult only hot tub hours at night. It was a nice getaway from Chicago."

    6. Prairie View — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    8 Reviews
    Spring Grove, IL
    8 miles
    +1 (847) 587-5512

    "Prairie View campground is in the Chain O Lakes State Park series. This is the no services campground. We could walk to fill up with water but no electric on site. Checking in was interesting."

    "You could barely see the neighbors because of how overgrown the edges of the site were. We felt like we were in our own little bubble."

    7. Camp Reinberg

    12 Reviews
    Palatine, IL
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (312) 636-9750

    $45 - $60 / night

    "Lots of biking and walking trails and plenty of off trail paths that lead to unique clearings, bridges, etc."

    "tucked alongside a bike and walking path that goes through a beautiful forest preserve. The path is gorgeous dipping through forested sections, open fields, and lilly pad covered ponds!"

    8. Mud Lake East — Chain O' Lakes State Park

    7 Reviews
    Spring Grove, IL
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (847) 587-5512

    $12 / night

    "This State Park isn't too far off the beaten path which is nice. Fairly close to gas stations, convenience stores, etc. The park is clean, and has the bathrooms and utilities that would be needed."

    "There are numerous sites that are on a small lake with great sunset views. Sites are decent size but not much privacy in between sites. Lots of wooded trails within the campground."

    9. Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area

    23 Reviews
    Burlington, WI
    21 miles
    Website

    "I would recommend this for anyone for starting to step out of the comfort zone for the outdoors. very simple, many paths to walk, jog, or ride a bike. a small lake is near the further parking lot. dogs"

    "Had some cool amenities like the off road park and multiple fishing spots. Has a winery and cool dive bars all within 10 min. Only downside is all the noise from the road and the drag strip near by."

    10. Sunrise Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area

    21 Reviews
    Burlington, WI
    21 miles
    Website

    "the property is HUGE and most things are about a 10 to 15 min walk from the campsites. lots of hiking, boating, swimming fishing and more! a great place for anyone!"

    "You can fish, hunt, hit the trail in your boots, or on your ORV. There is swimming but as kids I remember some people getting swimmers itch or chiggers from time to time."

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Recent Camping Photos near Round Lake, IL

240 Photos of 62 Round Lake Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Round Lake, IL

650 Reviews of 62 Round Lake Campgrounds

  • Mark D.
    Sep. 15, 2025

    Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

    We had such an enjoyable time at Ottawa Lake Campground.

    Escape the everyday and immerse yourself in nature at Ottawa Lake Campground. Nestled in the heart of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, this welcoming retreat offers lakeside fun, scenic hiking trails, the quiet beauty of a true Northwoods experience, all without a long drive.

    We have visited the Campground 5 times this year already, we love hiking all the trails in the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit.

    https://youtu.be/xl4uAtNWclM

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 3, 2025

    Ottawa Lake Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit

    Close to "home" beautiful sites

    We've been full time RVers for 4 years and this is a beautiful campground close to "home". We stay here a couple of times each year for doctor and dentist appointments, visiting family and friends, and general relaxation.

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 29, 2025

    Camp Bullfrog Lake

    Great camping spot

    This is my second time staying at Bullfrog lake. The first time I was in spot 2 which had more privacy but felt more cramped. This time I was in spot 18 which felt like it had more space but had almost no shade.

    The camp hosts are really hit or miss. One guy was so nice and took a bunch to photos for me of me kayaking. The other guy seemed mad to be alive lol.

    The kayaks are $15 and hour and include life vests. The lake is pretty small but it was fun to putter around.

    Unfortunately the wood I bought from the camp store took forever to catch flames—my other two neighbors had the same issue.

    Bathroom/shower facilities were clean and well stocked.

    Overall I’d definitely stay here again.

  • K
    Aug. 28, 2025

    Fish Lake Beach Camping Resort

    Not communicable, fraud administration

    I reserved 5 nights, paid in full. After just one night, management cancelled my stay because my service dogs(Maltese) supposedly barked. I was fully cooperative, kept them quiet, and even documented this in emails. There was a stray cat near my RV that caused the issue, but instead of solving it, they forced me to leave. No refund for 4 nights. This is unfair, discriminatory, and against ADA law.

  • J
    Aug. 28, 2025

    Circle K Campground

    Horrid management, bad experience

    Management (owners Ed and Coleen) are two of the rudest people I have ever met, with Ed fabricating outrageous, completely inaccurate stories highlighting either his "heroics" (like when his personal fire truck he has was working people would call him before 911) but more often how he has been slighted because of other's inadequacies (local grocery store doesn't like him because "his campers buy all their food leaving none for the locals), and also falsities behind his rules (the U.S. Postmaster does not allow anyone else's packages/mail to be delivered to the campground).  They are completely intolerant of kids/teenagers (and, heresay from conversations with seasonal residents, special needs kids) - rules for use of the pool is that it is open after a certain time and if the air temp is above a certain level - we personally witnessed 3 young teens ask to get into the pool an hour after the pool should've been open and it was 5 degrees over Ed's stated temp, but no one else was using the pool and Ed turned them away - told them to swim in the cesspool... I mean, pond.

    Ed constantly creates new rules on a whim and is exceedingly selective (read: biased) for whom those rules are enforced. If you have a problem with the campsite (water, electricity, dead trees, ground hornets, you name it) - it is because YOU did something wrong, and if you disagree he will harass you to no end and may even kick you out. Some of the seasonal campers are nice, others (those "in" with the owners) are not. I would not recommend this campground to anyone unless/until it is under new ownership.

  • Tim L.
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Chicago Northwest KOA

    Chill Vibes, quick get away from the city

    Far enough from the city lights, close enough to civilization. Cozy, small park with friendly staff and plenty of amenities. You can walk from one side to other no problem. Plenty of large and small RV's and Trailers with tent camping. Our home away from home, so relaxing!

  • Ron D.
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Pearl Lake

    Low Class Trailer Trashy Park

    Horrible customer service from the start. We registered online with a 35" 5th wheel for 2 nights. On checking in, we wouldn't fit in the site so the girl at the desk put us in a different site saying she couldn't escort us to our site. This was our first time being there and her excuse was they were short staffed. The street signage was very small and hard to read. Site numbers were said to be on every pedestal but they were not visible from any drive. After only a few minutes of driving around, we were astonished by all the trash and junky trailers on site. Note that if your camper is more than 10 years old, they want to first see a picture of it so as to keep their place classy. Not the case here once you have paid and are here. We call back to the office for assistance finding our site and the girl said she would have to lock the office and was hesitant about doing so but she would come out to hep us find our place. We simply asked for a refund saying we were very disappointed with the situation so far. When she told us they don't give refunds, we asked for a manager to call us back. At this point we left to find another place which we did and were at in about 30 minutes. The manager called us back offering us drinks at the bar, a premium site, tickets for kids in the bounce house, and free water craft but I and the wife were only there for 2 nights. We were not going back to that dump. She said she would have to speak with the owners about a refund but never called us back. Five days later I called several times to speak with the manager again but no call back. She did however text us saying they will not issue a refund saying the girl in the office could not leave the desk because her coworker was using the restroom. Then why did she say she couldn't leave because they were short handed? Long story short, think long and hard before you visit this trashy place. Showers were dark and dingy and smelled. The beach looked more like gravel and not pleasing. Just walking around, I couldn't get away from the awful smell of people smoking and vaping and a strong smell of pot smokers everywhere. Not at all the place we would take our grand kids ever.

  • Tim H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 15, 2025

    Sunset Campground — Richard Bong State Recreation Area

    Private sites, lots of wildlife ... and mosquitoes

    It's a wetland, mosquitoes are happening, but the trade off is just about worth it. If you enjoy bird watching or rabbit spotting, this is a great place to go. 

    We're from the south, so we are used to mosquitoes, but I have seldom been around so many all at once. Thankfully we had a pop-up screened gazebo that made sitting outside our tent much more enjoyable. I will say this though, even with there being more mosquitoes constantly attacking, I did not have the reactions to them like I do the mosquitoes back in Alabama and Mississippi. I wasn't itching much at all.

    But back to the fun part. It was pretty hot a couple days while we were there and to take a break from the heat, we enjoyed the ac in the car and drove around the recreation area and the campgrounds. I have seldom seen as many rabbits as we saw. There were relatively few campers during the week and just about every other campsite had at least a bunny or two. 

    What drew me to this campground was how private the individual sites were. Each campsite is cut back into the trees so that most are at least semi-private. This was a nice feature given that many other campgrounds you are stacked in like cord wood.

    Our first night there, we left the rain fly off of the tent and just enjoyed the stars and the satellites streaking across the sky.

    Overall, it was a rather enjoyable week. The shower/bathrooms were nice and clean, though I will admit the shower got too hot even for my wife. It is an easy drive from the recreation area to Kenosha or other points of interest and Lake Michigan is worth a visit if you aren't from the area.

Guide to Round Lake

Camping near Round Lake, Illinois, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. With several campgrounds in the area, you can find the perfect spot to enjoy nature, whether you're in a tent, RV, or cabin.

What to do:

  • Hiking and Trails: Explore the many trails available at Rock Cut State Park Campground. One camper mentioned, "Tons of trails, fishing, and even a swimming pond." This park is perfect for those who love to hike and enjoy scenic views.
  • Fishing: If you enjoy fishing, Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area is a great choice. A visitor shared, "We kayaked around the lake and enjoyed the natural setting," highlighting the lake's beauty and fishing opportunities.
  • Wildlife Watching: At Blackwell Family Campground, you can spot various wildlife. One reviewer noted, "Driving in here makes you forget you’re in the middle of town!" This campground offers a peaceful escape with plenty of nature to observe.

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate well-maintained restrooms and showers. A visitor at Adeline Jay-Geo Karis Illinois Beach State Park said, "Staff were very friendly and helpful," emphasizing the positive experiences with the campground staff.
  • Spacious Campsites: Many campers enjoy the spacious sites at Ottawa Lake Campground. One review mentioned, "Site was spacious but very close to your neighbors," indicating that while the sites are roomy, they can be close together.
  • Family-Friendly Atmosphere: Campgrounds like Big Foot Beach State Park Campground are popular with families. A camper noted, "Clean, family-friendly and basic amenities available," making it a great spot for a family getaway.

What you should know:

  • No Alcohol Policies: Some campgrounds, like Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, have strict no alcohol policies. A reviewer mentioned, "This SP strictly enforces its ‘no alcohol’ policy, which is a massive bummer."
  • Limited Water Access: At Camp Bullfrog Lake, some sites lack nearby water sources. One camper pointed out, "There is no water near any of the sites," so be prepared to bring your own.
  • Noise Levels: Campgrounds near busy roads, like Blackwell Family Campground, can have noticeable traffic noise. A visitor noted, "You can hear, and from some sites, see every souped-up car, motorcycle, and truck that goes by."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for campgrounds with amenities for kids, like playgrounds. Big Foot Beach State Park Campground has a nice playground, making it a hit with families.
  • Plan Activities: Bring games and outdoor activities to keep kids entertained. One camper at Rock Cut State Park Campground mentioned, "The ranger offers evening entertainment for the kiddos," which can be a fun addition to your trip.
  • Pack Snacks: Keep snacks handy for hungry campers. A visitor at Adeline Jay-Geo Karis Illinois Beach State Park appreciated the nearby store, saying, "There’s a store at the beach side of the campground."

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Hookup Availability: Make sure to reserve sites with electric hookups if needed. A camper at Ottawa Lake Campground mentioned, "Electricity on site and water nearby," which is essential for RV camping.
  • Be Mindful of Space: Some RV sites can be close together. A visitor at Camp Bullfrog Lake noted, "The spots are small and it’s very crowded," so plan accordingly.
  • Explore Nearby Attractions: Take advantage of local dining options. A camper at Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area recommended nearby eateries, saying, "There’s a few options, top of which I recommend Shabbona Café."

Camping around Round Lake, IL, offers a mix of fun activities and beautiful nature. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a peaceful retreat, there's something for everyone in this area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the best campgrounds on Round Lake for tent camping?

For tent camping around Round Lake, Turner Lake South — Chain O' Lakes State Park offers nicely private sites that are ideal for tent campers looking for a more secluded experience. For a different setting, Pinewoods Campground — Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit provides an excellent tent camping experience in a pine forest setting with easy access to the Ice Age and Scuppernong trails. Both locations offer a true outdoor experience with the basic amenities tent campers need while maintaining a natural environment.

Are there family-friendly camping activities available at Round Lake?

The Round Lake area offers excellent family-friendly activities. At Camp Reinberg, families enjoy numerous biking and walking trails with off-trail paths leading to unique clearings and bridges. For water recreation, Rock Cut State Park - Staghorn Campground provides peaceful lakeside activities including canoe rentals and fishing, complemented by nice walking trails. Throughout the area, you'll find opportunities for swimming, boating, wildlife watching, and campfire programs. Many campgrounds also offer playgrounds and open spaces for games, making Round Lake an ideal destination for families looking to enjoy the outdoors together.

Can you RV camp at Round Lake State Park and what amenities are available?

Yes, RV camping is available near Round Lake. Prairie View — Chain O' Lakes State Park offers primitive camping with no hookups at sites, though water is accessible by a short walk. For RVers wanting more amenities, Honeysuckle Hollow — Chain O' Lakes State Park provides more developed sites with electric hookups and is designed to accommodate RVs with a more open layout. Both areas have basic restroom facilities, though Prairie View has fewer services overall. Most RV sites in the area are level and accessible, with nearby access to the lake's recreational opportunities.

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